It’s billed by proponents as a way moms can defend themselves from attackers while dropping their children off at school. But legislation that cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday on a 4-3 party-line vote also would permit high schoolers who are at least 18 to bring and keep loaded weapons in their vehicles. And that alarmed some foes of HB 2693 who said it creates the opportunity for what starts out as a spat among students to quickly escalate if one goes out to the parking lot to retrieve the weapon.

In celebration of children, the Page Public Library invites the community to participate in Page’s Early Childhood Fair,“Early Learning, Every Day,” from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 13 at the Page Sports Complex.

The recent third annual Early Childhood Legislative Day at the Arizona State Capitol provided early childhood backers from across the state an opportunity to share with policymakers why early childhood is critical to the future of our state and how it links to shared priorities, such as healthy children, strong families, greater academic achievement and increased economic development.

What happens when a Flagstaff elementary school student is performing at a more advanced level than their peers?Right now, there is not one answer: Each school offers various programs, clubs and resources for students, but the full academic needs of such students are often unmet.Flagstaff Unified School District has a possible solution called the Elementary Preparatory Academy, which is scheduled to begin at DeMiguel Elementary and Knoles Elementary starting this fall.

What do lawmakers’ bills to require students be tested for dyslexia and receive school vision and hearing screenings have in common?

They’re unfunded mandates, which means there are no funding sources in these bills to provide the services they require.

“It could be the best mandate in the whole world, and it doesn’t change the fact that if it’s not funded, then districts have to take money away from programs and services that students are already getting,” said Chuck Essigs, director of governmental relations for Arizona Association of School Business Officials.

Since Arizona remains 48th in the nation in public education spending, unfunded mandates have a significant impact on public schools’ budgets, Essigs said.

Fourteen million students attend schools across the U.S. where they walk the halls with police but don’t have access to a counselor, nurse, psychologist or social worker, according to a new ACLU report released Monday.And of the schools that do provide students access to mental health professionals, about 90 percent fail to meet the minimum staff-to-student ratio, which the report found can mean one school counselor is responsible for dealing with more than 400 students.